As part of measures to ameliorate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on the residents of Ekiti State, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has approved of the Payment of N5,000 as a conditional cash transfer to 10,000 households in the state.
The intervention was part of several others designed to directly impact poorest and most vulnerable residents will take effect from August till December 2023, with emphasis on aged people.
Addressing a news conference in Ado Ekiti, the Chairman of the 3-man committee set up by the governor to propose urgent interventions to soften the effects, Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akintunde Oyebode said the committee met with various stakeholders, including Organized Labour, to discuss the possible interventions.
Akintunde said the inclusion of 10,000 persons in the Ulera Wa health insurance programme and food distribution programme that will commence this month were also in the approved Ekiti State’s Subsidy Relief Programme.
The Commissioner who addressed journalists alongside the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Kolapo Olatunde and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Comrade Sola Adigun said input will be distributed to farmers as well as financial support to small businesses and our informal sector.
As a result of the committee engagement with organized labour, he added that the governor approved the immediate implementation of the following measures: “Payment of one year’s leave bonus for State and Local
Government workers.
“Payment of one month’s pension arrears for State and local government pensioners and implementation of consequential adjustment for workers on GL. 14 to GL. 17 for State and Local Government workers.
“Implementation of 90% CONHESS and 100% Hazard Allowance for health workers at the Local Governments and salary parity for clinical staff of the Hospitals’ Management Board.
“Implementation of financial benefits of 2020 and 2021 promotions for State and Local Government workers, immediate payment of one month subvention arrears to tertiary institution and Provision of free shuttle buses for workers and students to ease transportation to/from work and school respectively”.
He said the Governor remains irrevocably committed to his vision of “Shared Prosperity” which is being driven by the Government’s six-point agenda.
Responding, the NLC Chairman, Olatunde and the TUC Chairman Adigun commended the state governor for taking the action, saying it was the best of the negotiation we have ever had in the recent times.
“It is like a magic. It is beautiful, gracious, unprecedented and laudable.
“He yielded to all our demands. Those things we thought will take two to three months but we received the positive shock of our lives that all were done once. It showed that organized labour is not selfish as our people out there (private sector) were also included.”
